Grate for metallic crates.



PATENTED DEC. 24; 1907.

J. MATHY; GRATE FOR METALLIC GRATES.

APPLICATION I'ILBD AIB. 11 1907.

JOSEPH MATHY, OF HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS.

GRATE FOR IMETALLIC GBATES.

. A Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1907. I

Application filed April. 11.1907- Serial No. 367,570.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn MATHY, of Hot Springs, in the county ofGarland and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grates for Metallic Crates; and I hereby declare thatthe following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebein had to the accompanying drawings, which orm part of thisspecification.

This invention 1s an improvement in grates for metallic crates such asare used for transporting bottled beer, milk, cream, etc., andparticularly designed for use in connection with metallic crates such asare shown .in my Patent No. 678,826 dated July 16,

1901, and the object of the present invention is to provide a simple,stron andcheaply constructed grate, which is pre erably removable andcan be readily placed in or removed from the crates, and when inposition will properly separate the bottles in the crate.

Some of the particularly novel features of the grate are the means bywhich it is supported within the crate and the peculiar locking jointbetween the supports and the crate proper, whereby the supports alsoserve as a bond to tie the members of the grate together.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following description,in connection with the accompanying drawings,,and the claims set forththe construction for which protection is desired.

In said drawings-Figure 1 is a view of a crate, the crate broken away soas to show the grate in position ther in, and showing the grate cover;Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view showing the crate cover; Fig.3 is aperspective view of the grate'removed from the j, crate. Figs. 4 and 5are plan views of slight modifications of the grate. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of one of the locking joints between the support andgrate straps. Fig. 7 is a perspective Vi w of such joint opened; andFlg. 8 is aperspective view showing the device for-locking the gratestraps at an intersecting point.

The crate A is preferably made of sheet metal having its side and endwalls slightly tapered inward from top to bottom, so that its upper endissmaller than the bottom flange thereof, so that one crate can beplaced on top of another and nested, the flange A .on the lower edge ofone crate fitting over the upper end of a lower crate. In

on their underside,

order to exclude air from the crate, and to protect the contents thereoffrom injury when the crate is transported singly, I provide it with acover B. This cover ispreferably stamped out of sheet metal, and has adepending flange b adapted to vfit closely around the upper edge of thecrate A, said upper edge being ordinarily stiffened by a i This cover.forms a kind of metal band a. cap, the flange b depending on the sidesand ends of the crate sufiiciently to not inter- I fere with the placingof one crate upon another, as indicated in Fig. 2. Preferably the loweredge of flange b is stiffenedby a wire I), as shownfand at one side thiscover is hinged to the crate by means of strap metal loops 0 engagingthe wire I) at points where the encircling portion of the flange 1s cutaway, as indicated at If. At the opposite side the cover can be fastenedby means I of a sheet metal hasp D strung on wire I),

and provided with a slot adapted to engage a. fastener d pivotallyattached to the fidjfirr cent wall of the crate. y The grate iscomposedof a series of longi tudinal parallel bars or straps 1 and aseries.

of intersecting transversely arranged straps 2. The straps 1 areprovided at intersecting points with notches 1 on their upper sides andthe straps 2 are provided with notches 2 so that when the notch portionsof the straps are fitted together at their points of intersection, theedges of the straps will be substantially flush, as indicated in thedrawings, and all the, straps will. be practically in one plane.

Y The grate is held at a proper means of supports 3, preferably U-shapedbailswliich are provided with slots 3* in their upper ends by which theyare adapted to embrace a strap 2 at a point of its intersection with astrap 1. The strap 2 rests upon the bottomof the slot 3*; and theprojecting extremities 3 of the support are turned over the upper'edgeof the strap 1 and bent down against the opposite side of such .strap,as indicated in '6kof the drawings,

oc preventmg t e thus forming a perfect straps 1 and 2 separating.vertically, and as said straps are locked against longltudmal relativemovement by the notches 1 2 theheight by I resultant joint forms anabsolutely ti ht connection between the support and bot straps withoutthe use of any. rivets'or sockets. Thus the grate proper is supported atthe proper height within the crate,'the supports 1 are out of the way ofthe bottles, and the construction is simple, compact and effective.

If desired, in large grates,- as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, the strapsmay be inclosed within a band 4, to which the outer ends of the severalstraps 1, 2, may be riveted as at 1 2 which makes a very substantialgrate. But as indicated in Fig. 5, this band 4 may be omitted, making alighter grate. Where the band 4 is omitted the ends of the straps 1 2,may be rounded, as indicated at 1, 2", in Fig. 8, so that they will notbe likely to inj urc the hand of the operator in placing or removing thegrate in the crate.

In order to prevent the straps 1, 3, swinging apart at intermediateintersections where they are not locked by the supports or by rivets,they may be secured by a locking device 5, as indicated in the drawings.This locking device may comprise an. open wire loop, which is slippedunder the strap 2 at a point of intersection with strap 1, the upperends of the device are then bent down over the adjacent interlockedstrap 1, as indica-t edv 25 in Fig. 8 of the drawings, formingsubstantially the same positive lock between. said straps as is formedby the slotted upper end of the support 3, as shown in Fig. 6. In fact,the wire is simply a similar but equivalent construction of the slottedupper end of one of the supports 3. It is not necessary to use theselocking devices 3 or 5 at every point of intersection of the straps 1,2.

The grate shown and described is very simple in construction, strong anddurable, and as the supports uphold the grate some distance above theiloor of the crate, the grate can be fitted closely in the crate and yeteasily removed and replaced, because it can be tilted in the crate todi'lferent angles before the suppo ts 3 would contact with the walls ofthe-crate.

Having described my invention what 1 claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. The combination of a grate composed ofintersecting straps, with supports attached to the grate at points ofintersection of the.

straps and locking the straps together, substantially as described. p

2. The combination of a grate composed of longitudinal and transverselyarranged series of straps, with supports having slotted upper endsembracing one of the straps at points of intersection, and theirextremities turned over the intersecting straps to lock the same,substantially as described.

3. The combination of a'gratc composed of longitudinal and transverselyarranged series of bars notched at their points of intersection, withsupports having slotted upper ends embracing one of the straps atintersecting points and having their extremities turned the same,substantially as described.-

I over the adjacent intersecting straps to lock 4. The combination of agrate composed of longitudinal and transversely arranged seriesofstraps, with supportshaving slotted upper ends embracing one of thestraps at polnts of intersection, and their extremities turned over theintersecting straps to lock the same, and bands surrounding theintersecting straps and attached to the ends thereof.

5. The combination in a grate, of a series of parallel straps notched ontheir upper side, a series of intersecting transversely arranged strapsnotched on their under side, said straps being fitted together at theirnotched intersecting points, with a locking device embracing the edge olone of the straps at an interseciing point and having its extremitiesturnedover and down upon the opposite edge of the intersecting strap tolock the straps together, substantially as described.

6. The herein described movable grate consisting of a series oflongitudinally disposed straps notched in their upper sides and a seriesof transversely disposed straps notched on their under sides, saidstraps being litted together at their points of intersection withU-shaped bails having slotted upper ends embracing the lower edge of onestrap at the point of intersection and having their extremities turneddown over the upper edge of the intersecting strap whereby the supportsare rigidly secured to the grate and the intersecting straps lockedtogether.

7. The combination of a grate composed of longitudinal and transverselyarranged series of bars notched at their points of intersection, withsupports having slotted upper ends embracing one of the straps atintersecting points and having their extremities turned over theadjacent intersecting straps to lock the same; with a band inclosin thesaid straps and connected to the extrenuties thereof, substantially asdescribed.

8. The combination in a grate, of a series of parallel straps notched ontheir upper side, a series of intersecting transversely arranged strapsnotched on their under side, said straps being iitted together at theirnotched intersecting points, with a locking device embracing one of thestraps at an intersecting point and engaging one edge thereof and havingits extremities turned over and down upon the opposite edge of theintersecting strap to lock the straps together, with a band inclosingthe said straps and coimectcd to the extremities thereof, substantiallyas described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I allix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

J( )S EPI I M ATI'IY.

Witnesses: v

AR'rnUu l). DowELL, JOHN L. l ma'renun.

